A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system may include one or more controllable components that may operate in different stages or at different levels of operation. The components, or controllers thereof, may receive signals that indicate to the component to operate at one of the levels. These signals may be generated based on the HVAC needs of a space or location, such as cooling based on a temperature measurement at the space and a predetermined set point. One example of a component of an HVAC system is a compressor, such as a two-speed compressor, that may operate in a full load operation or a partial load operation. The operation of the compressor may be controlled by signals from a thermostat or another controller. In some circumstances, the signals may indicate to the compressor to operate in a partial load operation, which has a corresponding partial load envelope indicating stable operating parameters of the compressor in partial load operation. If the compressor operates outside the partial load envelope during partial load operation, the compressor may be unable to operate as intended, which may result in damage to the compressor or other components of the HVAC system.